Secrets to Discover
by Emy-022
Summary: Narelle Westbrook journeys from London to her new 'home' in Port Royal, but with a dark and to some, difficult past. When she meets a man, her tough shell cracks and secrets are spilled to keep him with her. As she lives her new life, can the friends she makes keep her secrets? First fic in a while, please review! T for now, may change.
1. Chapter 1

**So, uhm, I'm back from what feels like years (cause it HAS been years! Whoops!) with a new story that's been floating around in my head. I originally had no idea what to call my OC, but here she is! Narelle… honestly used a name generator I was so desperate for a name. Anyway I thought I'd throw this out there, just to test the waters… leave feedback if you could… I haven't done this in a while so whatever you have, I'll read! Thanks! :D**

1.

Narelle Westbrook rested her arms on the side of the ship, the _Superior, _and stared out on the growing town of Port Royal. Her ice blue eyes were squinted from the sun's intense light, and the strong breeze blew small strands of her dark chestnut hair from her pins. She had never thought that she would actually be staying in this tiny town, since London was her home.

_I can't think like that anymore, _she thought. This _is my home now. Port Royal._

"My lady," came a voice. Narelle jumped slightly, and saw the captain of the ship standing next to her.

"We're about to come in to dock," he said. "Might I suggest you go below and prepare yourself?"

Narelle let out a breath, nodded, and went below deck to her quarters. As she looked around, she saw her things were already packed for her, and she gave a half smile.

"Sophie, you didn't have to," she said.

"Might as well, considering that I'm still your maiden," Sophie replied, standing in the doorway.

"Couldn't even take a day off?"

"Never." Sophie and Narelle laughed. "Besides, here you'll be safe from your uncle and that wretched tower and your god-awful cousins."

Narelle nodded. "How will I live?"

"You are going to your new estate," Sophie replied. "Don't worry, they finished about two weeks ago, and everything's perfect as far as I know."

An officer poked his head out from above deck. "We're docked, my lady. You can come out and come off the ship if you like."

"Thank you, kind sir," Narelle replied. She looked to Sophie.

"Well I guess we better get going, huh?" she asked with a sheepish smile.

"Yes, m'lady. There's a carriage outside waiting for you when you step off the pier."

Narelle stepped back out into the intense Caribbean sun and off the _Superior _to the pier of Port Royal. She looked around and saw the town bustling with activity and a few of the townspeople stopped to look at the newcomer, and she saw a few of the small children wave to her. She smiled and couldn't help but give a small wave back before their mothers would look over and pull them away. She looked to Sophie.

"Are they all like that?" she asked, concerned.

"Not all," she replied. "You're new. It's going to take them a while for the people to get used to you. Besides that, you're royal. As soon as they figure that out, they'll be crawling to your feet."

Narelle grew uncomfortable. "Really? If that's the case I don't want that. I'd rather be invisible then."

"Now, now. Come. You're carriage is waiting, and look: there's someone there that I think wants to meet you."

Sure enough, when Narelle spotted the carriage, she noticed a man dressed in the dark blue uniform of a Royal Navy Officer was standing near the door. He had a genuine smile on his face and had his hands behind his back.

"I'll be the first to say 'welcome to Port Royal,'" he said.

Narelle gave a smile in return.

"Thank you, good sir," she replied. "I'm Narelle Westbrook."

The man kept his smile and glanced to the street before his deep green eyes met hers once again.

"I hate to say it," he said. "but I'm pretty sure everyone here knows your name, including myself. I'm quite familiar with the name, but I was pretty sure that you were just an urban legend."

"What, a woman locked in a tower after her uncle couldn't bear to look at her any longer, just wishing that _someone _would at least come up to say hello?" she replied. "I'm hardly a legend, but the secrets I keep are far darker, and the amount of knowledge that I possess is greater than even the king himself, Captain Norrington."

"H-how did-"

"It doesn't matter how I know your name," Narelle replied, a stern look replacing her smile. She opened the door to the carriage and half stepped inside, leaving one foot out on the step. "I suggest you tell everyone you know that the urban legend is very real, and that the nightmare that resides in London may find itself on the very streets these people call home." She sat down in the carriage and closed the door. The carriage took off, leaving a baffled and confused James Norrington to only stare after her.

Sophie turned to Narelle. "Do you think it was necessary to do that to him?"

"Necessary? Possibly. I can tell this town has no idea about what is really happening in England. Something's coming, but what it is, I'm not sure."

** So… What do you think? I wrote this in about a half hour… so please excuse the lack of detail… I wanted to see how this went before I expand or just throw it out altogether! Thanks a lot and please, please, please leave a review! ~Emy022**


	2. Chapter 2

**So thanks to the traffic that I've seen over couple of days, I'm glad to say that I'll continue.. good thing too, I was kind of itching to get back out here… Thanks again guys! Oh and if you want to know what inspired me to get back, check out the James Norrington character tribute "I'm too sexy" clip.. just thinking about him actually singing and (however provocative) dancing pretty much makes me laugh so hard I cry.. anyway.. enjoy! Oh and by the way, this is going along with the movies, but with a twist, so slight AU. And for all intents and purposes, no one for the moment sees through her façade through this chapter. Please try not to get confused, and just hang on! :D**

2.

"Are you absolutely sure this will work?" Sophie asked.

Narelle huffed. "Yes, Sophie," she replied. "I did this in London, so this place should be no problem. I start in an hour, so I need my hat."

Night had blanketed Port Royal, and after a week of living in her new home, Narelle finally donned her Royal Navy uniform. Sophie had already bound her chest and pulled her hair back. As she looked in the mirror, she looked about the same in London as she does in Port Royal.

"Voice check," Sophie whispered.

"Captain Michael Ketterling," Narelle said hoarsely. "Ready for patrol, my fair lady." She bowed and playfully took Sophie's hand. They both laughed a little.

"Get out there, Captain," Sophie commanded. "Your patrol won't wait for you."

Narelle grabbed her tri-corn hat and left the room. She descended the stairs of her grand staircase, earning a few "byes" and "see you laters" from the other maidens roaming about the house. She stepped onto the street, and took in the lit streets of Port Royal.

A few torches lit the way to the fort, but the lamps dangling from the overhangs of the taverns gave additional light to not only the streets, but to the people. Men using their days' pay to drink into madness ambled about the streets, some ducking into the alleys to vomit or to pass out, others to shout obscenities at each other until fists flew.

Narelle sighed, and took the most indirect route to the fort, making sure to keep away from the taverns and the drunken shouts of laughter.

_This place isn't as bad as London was when I first started, _she thought. _At least there aren't hordes of people living here._

She reached the fort, and made it past the front gate, before two lieutenants seized her attention. She noticed the pair, and they couldn't have been more opposite. One had a deep tan, and stood tall with grace, while the other was as pale as a ghost with not as much height as the other. The only thing they shared was the dark, flowing brown eyes.

"Sir," the paler one said. "Lieutenant Andrew Gillette at your service." He shook hands with Narelle as the other officer spoke up.

"I'm Lieutenant Theodore Groves, sir," said the other. "Ready for patrol, sir."

Narelle nodded. "Ketterling," she replied hoarsely. She listened to her own voice to make sure it was deep enough. "Why don't one of you take one group and I'll follow with the other as I get to know the streets of this town?"

"Yes, sir," Gillette said. "Theo, how about you take the captain around Port Royal with Murtogg and Mullroy, while I take the others and split up into groups?"

"That works for me," Groves replied. "Is that alright with you, sir?"

Narelle nodded. "That's fine."

Narelle, Groves, Murtogg and Mullroy have been walking around the town for the better part of two hours. Mostly she let Groves talk about the town itself, the weather, the hurricanes that seem to blind-side the settlement, and the occasional pirate threat. Mullroy and Murtogg were mostly silent, except to debate on the rock one of them would step on was really a rock, or a crab in disguise, or to argue over which fish was really bigger.

"Are they always like that?" she asked.

Groves gave a chuckle. "Almost always," he replied. "They don't get much work done, but it's never boring around them."

"I'm telling you," Murtogg said. "That rock moved when I stepped on it."

Mullroy sighed in exasperation. "That's because it's a _rock. _Rocks move when you step on it weird."

"You're saying I step weird?"

Narelle bowed her head slightly and gave a chuckle.

"Rock crabs _do _exist you know," she said over her shoulder. "A few might be living here, and none of us would know."

"HA!" Murtogg said. "The captain agrees with me. It was a crab!"

"Rocks move! I'm telling you!"

"Calm yourselves," Groves commanded. "You two are louder than the drunks!"

"Sorry," they whispered.

"What would Norrington say?"

The two stayed silent as Narelle's attention perked up.

"Is he really that terrifying?" she asked.

Groves glanced at her. "Sir, James Norrington's one of the most feared officers of the Royal Navy. He's got numbers that are slightly higher than your own, when it comes to hangings, captures, and destruction of vessels. Sure, you're a legend too, but only in the waters around England, but here? Norrington rules the Caribbean with the _Interceptor _and the _Dauntless. _Some of the most notorious pirates were captured, hanged, or slain by his hand, directly or not."

Narelle nodded. "What about off the job?"

"Ha," Groves laughed. "Well, if he's _not _working, he's a pretty nice guy. He keeps to himself mostly, but the friends he has are close to him."

A silence grew between them, when Groves suddenly cast a look to her.

"Sir, may I ask a question?" he asked.

"Groves, you've been talking almost without filter for the past few minutes," she replied. "And you're choosing _now _to ask a question? Go ahead!"

"Well, uhm, I was wondering if you knew anything about that Miss Westbrook that recently moved here."

Narelle's eyes widened, but kept her fear suppressed.

"As far as what?" she asked.

"Well, I know she's been trying to get used to the Caribbean climate, and she's been attending the balls and get-togethers with the others from the upper class, but no one really knows _her. _I mean, Norrington's seen her, but he hasn't talked about her at all. Makes you think, right?"

"I guess," she replied. "But otherwise, no. I haven't heard anything."

"Oh," Groves' face fell slightly. "That's okay, I was just wondering. Thanks."

Narelle breathed a silent sigh of relief, and kept walking.

_A flash of lightning, and I was scared into waking from the sudden clash of thunder. The candlelight slowly growing brighter behind my closed bedroom door._

_ Another flash, and I'm on the ground in the courtyard, my back in searing pain, my nightgown shredded._

_ Yet another flash, and I see those haunting pair of eyes staring into my own._

_ Green eyes._

Narelle gasped and sat upright, rubbing her eyes as if she could rub the nightmare away if she tried hard enough. She heard the door close, and she looked up to see Sophie holding a lit candle in the dark room.

"Those eyes," Narelle whispered. "I remember."

"What is it?" Sophie asked.

"It was him," Narelle replied. "It was James Norrington."

** Well, what do we have here? Not only does she have a secret double life, but she's got some dark memories as well. Not only that, but Narelle and James have met before! Thanks to the reviewer and to those who have taken a look! I'll give more as to how dark those memories are, and how she even got her commission. Thanks again! ~Emy022**


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